Swampy's Florida

The first trailer for this Fall’s ‘Joker’ movie was released Wednesday. It had me wander to the Internet Movie Data Base, where I notice that Robert DeNiro is playing a night club owner, named ‘Murray Franklin’. Obviously a very obscure nod to Murray Franklin best known for his night club of the same name that thrived in South Miami Beach in the 1950s and ’60s.

Night clubs dotted A1A during the heydays of entertainment in south Miami Beach. Established and up and coming comedians and singers lined up for clubs of Ciro’s, Martha Raye and Murray Franklin’s. All were full of those who went to drink hard liquor and see a bawdy show. Comedians found along the strip on any given night might be Joe E. Ross, B.S. Pully and Don Rickles.

Rickles got his start at Franklin’s as Frank Sinatra attended Rickles’ show one night and loved Rickles. In three years Rickles was headlining in Las Vegas.

As monster hotels and show houses like The Fontainbleau and The Eden Roc took over Miami Beach, the smaller places like Franklin’s went out of business.

Though only alluded to, apparently the Arthur Fleck character, who later becomes The Joker performs as a stand-up comedian at a club run by ‘Murray Franklin’. A nice nod to someone who is otherwise remembered by historian types like me. 

Here is the IMDB page for The Joker:
https://tinyurl.com/y38o45t8